FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT ANIMALS

A 43-year-old Burbank man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he murdered the woman who was found dead in a parked car Friday at his parents' home. The man, David Perry, faces five felony counts, including murder, spousal abuse, making criminal threats and animal cruelty, officials said. He also pleaded not guilty to these charges. Perry was arrested Friday shortly after the body of Dorothy Jean McGuire, 37, of Sunland, was discovered in a parked car at his home in the 500 block of North Sparks Street in Burbank.

With the winds of love swirling throughout Burbank, Zita Lefebvre, the director of operations of Cartoon Network Studios, tapped into the air of affection to serve as hostess for the animation studio's eighth annual Valentine's Day luncheon. “We started doing this as our way of showing our appreciation and saying thank you to representatives from the city of Burbank, the community and nonprofit organizations that we work with all year. We owe them all a big debt of gratitude, and this is our small way of saying what a pleasure it is to work in Burbank,” Lefebvre said as she welcomed Mayor Jess Talamantes, City Manager Mike Flad, Police Chief Scott LaChasse and Fire Chief Ray Krakowski.

Lillian Hughes reveres the written word, so much so that the fifth-grade Stevenson Elementary School student often spends the lunch hour hunkered down with pencil and paper. “She loves to write, she would rather write than do almost anything,” said her teacher, Ann Marie Golding. _____________ FOR THE RECORD: This article incorrectly spells Ann Marie Goulding's name. _______________ Now, 10-year-old Lillian is working with a team of Cartoon Network artists to bring her latest book, “Mr.

A judge this week ruled in favor of a man who filed a claim against the city of Burbank for another incident in which a squirrel chewed on aluminum wiring, causing a power surge that damaged electrical equipment. Following a hearing on Wednesday in the Glendale courthouse, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Laura Matz granted Jon Buxer his entire claim - $1,745, plus $50 for additional costs incurred. On April 14, 2010, a squirrel chomped through an electrical grounding wire that runs from a power pole to the house, which triggered a power surge that damaged electrical equipment inside the Lincoln Street house owned by Buxer.

Paul Wee has a penchant for patience. A key animator on FOX TV's “The Simpsons,” he says it takes roughly six months to create one episode from script to screen - and thousands of drawings an episode. In his Burbank office at Film Roman, a Starz Media Company, he uses the Wacom Cintiq tablet that works like a sketch pad. He draws the actors and the acting by pressing the pen to the tablet and the image transfers onto the computer screen. Wee has worked on the show for 22 of its 23 seasons.

Squiggle by squiggle, the characters of the popular children’s television program “Regular Show” began to take shape Thursday on a dozen drawing tablets splayed out on tables at the Boys & Girls Club in Burbank. “They way the kids think, it is so refreshing,” said Cartoon Network character designer Chap Yaep as he leaned over to offer some guidance to a young artist. “We are used to thinking of stuff in a certain way and then you see a kid and they think of stuff and you are like, ‘Wow, I never thought of that.

Officials say they’re having a hard time keeping some shoppers at the Burbank Certified Farmer’s Market from leaving their pooches at home, which could draw the ire of county health inspectors. The farmer’s market, located on the corner of North Third Street and East Orange Grove Avenue, has had trouble enforcing state codes that prohibit bringing pets, with the exception of service animals, into the market, Burbank Police Sgt. Robert Quesada said. “Any kind of animal, whether it’s a dog, parrot or pig, is not allowed near the food,” he said.

Gypsy, a German shepherd mix who was brought to the Burbank Animal Shelter with an injured knee, earned her nickname “hero girl” after having to endure two more weeks of pain and a trip to an outside clinic for an X-ray. But soon, others won’t have to endure Gypsy’s trials. Veterinarian Centers of America Animal Hospital in Burbank this week kicked off a fundraising drive by donating $4,000 to the shelter for an in-house X-ray machine that should cut down on the diagnosis times and lead to faster treatment.

A new year may mean a new start for the critters at the Burbank Animal Shelter. Beginning this weekend, the shelter is expanding hours to be open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. "We have the largest number of visitors on Saturdays and we hope Sunday will do the same for us," said shelter Supt. Brenda Castaneda. Sunday hours were recommended during an audit of the shelter's services two years ago and Castaneda has been working to meet the suggestions. "We will evaluate how Sunday hours have worked in July," Castaneda said.

Children at Westminster Preschool learned just as much as their adult teachers about caring for puppies and kittens Monday. Eva Sippel, who is in charge of shelter community relations and volunteers, and seven members of the Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter brought several kittens and a Labrador puppy and talked about pet safety. The youngsters, ages 3 to 5, were shown how to approach a dog they don't know and how to hold and pet an animal. "I believe it's important to teach kids how to approach an animal so they are not afraid and they can learn what wonderful friendships exist between animals and people," said Sippel, who is a volunteer.